OSPREY Gas Pressure Monitoring

Gas utilities need to understand the dynamics of gas distribution through their pipeline network, from the intermediate pressure entry point at the district governor (regulator) to the low pressure connections to domestic/industrial consumers. Measurement of the pressure of gas at different points in the network therefore provides critical information.

Operationally, pressure is the most important parameter in gas distribution. A minimum pressure (typically 21 mbar in the UK or 7” water column in the US) needs to be delivered to the consumer. If this is not met, there is a risk that gas supply can be lost and/or domestic appliances fail. The consequent disconnection and reconnection process is costly and disruptive – and is always bad for customer relations.

If complaints associated with pressure are received, it is important that these are investigated and resolved rapidly, as any delay increases the risk of problems occurring and also risks losing gas through escapes (“shrinkage”).

By contrast, if gas pressure is too high, it can create leaks in the system that have to be systematically tracked down and fixed. In addition to the obvious safety concerns, natural gas is a greenhouse gas and, when released to the atmosphere without first being combusted, has a 25 times more potent global warming potential than CO2. So it is very important for the environment to keep as much gas inside the pipe network as possible.

Introducing OSPREY®

Abriox has introduced a radically new way to collect and manage gas distribution pressure data. OSPREY is a fully automatic system comprising:

Integration of the data into a software platform (PressureTrac®) that can be interfaced with the model used by the gas utilities and with their in-house business systems

OSPREY completely eliminates manual data collection of pressure data, saving time and money. It also massively improves the quality of pressure data - leading to gas production savings, improved gas network efficiency and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through leakage.

OSPREY Pressure monitors can be used for:

Network validation - the annual process whereby pressure data, recorded at various points, confirms the accuracy of a sophisticated computer model of the gas network. This model is the basis for network planning

Investigations of poor pressure – responding to customer calls, monitoring the variations in pressure to the household or industrial premises and assisting in the timely resolution of the complaint

System maintenance – ensuring that pressures are maintained at the correct level while work on the gas network is carried out

Calculation of average system pressures over long term periods – OSPREY has a minimum 5 year battery life and holds 10 years of data at standard logging intervals

Monitoring third party feed-ins to the gas network, such as from bio-methane or fracking

OSPREY reduces operating costs by improving our customers’ operational efficiency. And even a small reduction in shrinkage through improved pressure management and/or faster resolution of pressure incidents will generate a massive payback on the cost of deployment.

OSPREY IS THE COMPLETE SOLUTION FOR24/7 REMOTE PRESSURE MANAGEMENT

A completely wireless remote pressure management system for the gas and petrochemical industries.
Offering unrivalled performance, making our customers safer and more efficient. Reducing costs and environmental impact!

Innovative Design

Abriox’s key technical innovation was an on-board GPS module. The geo-positioning benefits of GPS are well known - automatically assigning data to the correct location and ensuring that a logger can always be found and retrieved. Less well known is the highly accurate timing GPS provides, so that each datum is precisely time-stamped. This combination of “time and space” eliminates the need for manual correction, allowing field data to be entered directly into the validation model.

Using this innovative approach, Abriox has been able to:

Speed up the deployment process and reduce errors in logger configuration or download.

Ensure data is always allocated to the correct location and eliminate the need for paper records to record when a logger is moved between locations.

SMS communication enables OSPREY monitors to be set up in the field using a cell/mobile phone.

OSPREY monitors can be supplied with separate 3G/2G and GPS antennas (most applicable to meter box installations) or a combined patch antenna where the OSPREY is installed in a metal enclosure.

The OSPREY system is independent of network provider. We usually supply our monitors with a roaming SIM to ensure that the strongest network is always selected automatically. This also speeds up installation and reduces inventory (no need to have “spare” monitors fitted with alternative network SIM cards). However, we can also factory fit free-issued SIMs or supply monitors for users to fit their own SIMs.

Innovative Software

PressureTrac® is a dedicated web-based pressure management software system for displaying, recording and exporting pressure data from the range of OSPREY® Pressure and Control Monitors. It also provides full remote configuration of all OSPREY monitors directly. Data is displayed both graphically and tabulated for quick and easy viewing, along with accurate GPS positioning of all devices in the field.

PressureTrac enables OSPREY monitors to be configured remotely. Device settings can be altered, providing full control and allowing changes dependent on the current environmental conditions. These include logging intervals, reporting times and alert thresholds. Alert conditions are automatically reported to users via SMS and/or email.

PressureTrac can be:

Hosted by Abriox - This is a web based version of the software, with the database specific to each customer. Ongoing costs are dependent on the size of the OSPREY fleet.

Hosted by the User - the software has been designed to be installed on an in-house server, so that users have full control over their own data. There is no limit to the number of OSPREYs and no ongoing hosting costs.

User access levels are allocated via the system software to ensure that the appropriate features are available only to authorised personnel.

View the OSPREY Range

OSPREY monitors gas distribution pressure with monitors available for 0 - 145psi. PressureTrac® is Abriox’s software for configuring OSPREY monitors in the field and for displaying pressure data; it can be seamlessly integrated with network operators’ in-house pressure management systems.

Pressure Monitors

Database Software

Download the datasheets for the OSPREY PL and PL Plus, and our other products from our support section